Lineage of Jesus

There seems to be a bug in the Preview function that displays "pre" HTML regions smaller than in the eventual message. I'll fix this when I get a chance. In the meantime, I reformatted the initial message again to reduce the width a little bit more.------------------
--Percy
   EvC Forum Administrator

Arguments at EvC Forum should be supported with evidence. I hope this isn't the beginning of an argument along the lines of, "Ancient Christian writings are mere fictions, and I am therefore free to engage in unhindered speculation."There is a legitimate question of upon whom the burden first falls. Should you first be required to supply evidence that the ancient Christian writings referred to are false? Or should Iasion take the lead, providing evidence that they're true? Since the historicity of most of these sources is not seriously questioned by any significant historical school of thought (not that there aren't known later Christian insertions/modifications, and suspected ones, too), I think the burden falls upon you.------------------
--Percy
   EvC Forum Administrator

Shouldn't "humankinds" include an apostrophe to indicate the possessive?--Percy

Offended? No way! I just find the irony interesting, that a person who pays little attention to punctuation, capitalization and possessives has a signature about ignorance. As you state it here it is a perfectly valid question. But what you originally said was, "May I ask how you are sure that the historical refrences you speak of that mention Jesus are not ficticious themselves?" This made it seem like you were questioning whether there were really such people as Ignatius and Irenaeus, and if so whether they really wrote the works attributed to them. That they existed and wrote these works is pretty much a settled issue, while the acuracy and historicity of the contents of these works is certainly open to debate.------------------

--	Percy
	EvC Forum Administrator

Hi sup32string,Your last message is a recapitulation of your position, explained at greater length and with good examples and analogies, that many early Christian documents are not reliable, and that therefore Jesus did not exist. It was well stated, but it is just a starting point for discussion, and the discussion was already well underway anyway. In order to carry the discussion forward you must begin addressing the specific points addressed to you in rebuttal. In other words, you're going to have to actually consider the evidence.------------------

--	Percy
	EvC Forum Administrator

Hi sup32string, By not addressing any of the specifics of the rebuttals and by merely restating your premis you give the strong impression that you wish to avoid examining the evidence. You have explained how it is possible that the available sources may have experienced tempering and/or fabrication, but that only means that it is possible, not that it happened. In order to make your case that it happened you will have to examine and discuss the actual sources themselves and looking for internal and external contradictions, inconsistencies, impossibilities, etc.Rule 2 of the Forum Guidelines states:You have made your position clear. Now it is time to make your case.------------------

--	Percy
	EvC Forum Administrator

[Fix link to Forum Guidelines. --Admin][This message has been edited by Admin, 07-28-2003]